Thanks for this article and your story. I want to consciously hydrate.
We want to believe that we can trust our body to signal us what it needs, but we’ve spent so long ignoring it that we don’t understand the signals or they’re too faint.
I’ll try your headache remedy next time I feel one coming on.
Hi Tim! Yes, it's tricky if we wait to listen to the signals. Because the body adapts to every stage, when there's a bad signal it's most likely late somehow for us to react. I mean, keeping the body healthy and functioning is a lot of work, no doubt. The good thing is that the body is also a grateful thing...if we give it the daily basics, it just does wonders. Nature is amazing. :)
thanks for sharing your story. I also had some water issues, in my case they affected the skin, which in some places became so dry that it gave rise to dermatitis. Now I drink 3 liters of water a day, and the problem has been solved
I'm so glad your dermatitis is solved! Thanks for sharing too. It's insaaaaane how important water is and how easily we could prevent so many issues (short term and long term ones) with the right hydration. I hope this message reaches as many as possible. 🥰
Thank you for this - simple and sensible! We do so many things but forget the essential so often. I will commit to drinking more water - I’m terrible at this.
Hi! I'm so glad this resonated. It's all about the basics, yes. If we can go back to the basics, we'd be doing wonders for our body! I'm sure your healthcare providers would be amazed and grateful too. That's why I think is a beautiful team work. :) Thanks for your comment, Ceridwen! Happy to have you here.
There's a funny aphorism that goes, "𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴." I agree that of all our daily nutritional requirements, we tend to ignore or take for granted the most important: water. When you actually go through the exercise of recording the amount of water consumed in a given day, it's far short of the recommended minimum.
Yes! Tracking your daily intake is key to learning how you're actually taking care of your body. It all comes down to the basics always. It's a beautiful thing to see when people start understanding and seeing the results of their own efforts too. Thanks for your comment, Arjun!
Very good advice. Thank you! I've never tried 3 glasses of water and a nap for a headache. Fortunately, I don't get them often, but I'll be sure to try this the next time I do.
I'm glad this resonated, Daria! I'd love to know how it goes if you ever have to try it. It's so interesting the little things we discover when we start paying a tiny more attention to the basics in our bodies. Thanks for your comment! And welcome to Feel Good family. :)
Thank you, Dr. Ross! Somewhere in my life I heard, “The simple shall confound the wise.” I must confess to being a heavy coffee drinker, likely in contradiction of good health practices. I’ve slowly tapered down to one quart per day, fully caffeinated, from over two quarts per day 30 years ago. I’m certain on any given day I don’t meet a “6 glasses - 8 oz each - total intake.
Might you be so kind as to point me in the direction of good/helpful
Ayuervedic lessons? I believe you made the case for not forsaking western medicine altogether. True? I try to resist the “take this pill” answer from MDs. I ask instead about what would help my own body-foods, fruits, nutritional supplements-ward off recurrences or strengthen me. I’m described occasionally as non-compliant in their records.
Perhaps I am my own problem?! Not amenable to Ayurvedic approaches? Any comments would be appreciated.
Hi Gary! Thanks for your comment! So, coffee can be tricky yes. I think a cup a day is a wise and tolerable amount for most people. Plus it's so enjoyable! I like one cup of coffee a day, but never two or any after 12pm. That's how I have learned to enjoy it while also attending my body's needs. Coffee sadly doesn't count as fluids, mostly because coffee is diuretic, meaning it makes you pee, so the liquid you put in, goes out, so to speak. I think it's a good trick as I teach my patients and readers, to drink one glass of water every time after you go to the bathroom. It creates a habit, which is tied to a no-brainer (peeing) and it will remind you each time to grab a glass afterwards. The thing is creating habits is tough. So we need to give the brain an easy signal to remember the new thing you're trying to learn or put in place. So maybe you could use this trick to help you drink more water by creating a new habit. The bathroom one is one example, but you could get creative and see what are things that you do unconditionally every day and try to fit a glass of water to one of those old habits you already have. Makes sense? I have a full class about this topic, here: https://thefeelgoodlife.substack.com/p/dont-stress-it-lesson-5
Maybe these two will give you a good idea on how to improve your hydration as you create a new habit. That whole course is about it. :)
Now, to answer the second part of your comment: that's right. I believe both western and eastern medicine systems have incredible things that we can use and learn from. I don't think one should exclude the other. On the contrary, I really believe in bringing the best of both worlds to provide a better medical attention, prevention and education for patients. That's what I do here in my newsletter. When I first learned about Ayurveda, it was 10 years ago. It's been a long time of reading and learning about it. I'm finally doing an advanced course myself! I really intend to keep learning so that I can keep practising and teaching health with expanded perspectives that can help people, in safe and effective ways. I think sometimes we need treatments and it's okay. But I also wonder on how many times can we avoid them if it's possible and preventable. That's my whole view on prevention. We do our best to prevent, and whenever we must take certain treatments, then we do, or assess with our treating professionals. Communication is key too. Many patients are afraid to ask their doctors, but as doctors, we would love to educate and also to be asked. I personally encourage my patients to do so, to not be afraid, to ask me anytime. I want people to leave my professional space feeling calmer and with more clarity about their health concerns rather than leaving with doubts and fear. If people leave my consultation or my newsletter with doubts and fear, then I'm not doing my job correctly. That's a personal view and I can only speak for myself, but I do know there's so many other doctors like me out there. It's a matter of communication and awareness on both sides. And if your doctor is knowledgeable and open-minded on learning about other medical systems, then that's great. I think it's a good thing to have.
I hope I have answered all your questions! Let me know if I missed something. :)
Thank you Dr. Ross for the consideration to share both knowledge and time. I’m grateful.
You perfectly described a style, in your own practice and envisioned for other practitioners, that matches my fantasy of an ideal practitioner. I once was seeing three specialists (none of whom acted like the others had any role to play) and as is customary their findings/reports were sent to my primary care physician. During an appointment I asked my primary physician if these other specialists ever scheduled conference calls to discuss cases? He looked very surprised and quickly said “No! That’s what is done at teaching hospitals.” Modern medicine I suppose and resistance to new learning?
Acting as a diagnostician is a thing of the past. Liability concerns. So? They order a barrage of lab tests. Again, integrative medicine doesn’t usually play any role. So I, as calmly as possible, play traffic director and suggest that a recent panel for my rheumatologist might also be useful for my orthopedic surgeon. The former doctor almost scoffed at the idea. The latter exclaimed, “Yes! Please have the results sent to my office.”
Being non-confrontational or judgmental as you said is important for any of that to work. It is said, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” One cup of coffee only in the morning could help with that!
I’ll read the action plans you included re water intake and make that beginning. Thank you ever so much Dr. Ross.
And may I add, from a doctor's perspective, you're a good patient for wanting to understand your health alongside your doctors, for asking questions and for trying to find solutions and ways. I always encourage this. Just like I also encourage second opinions too many times when patients share they feel unheard or unseen. Trusting your treating health staff is vital for patients to engage in treatment and for wanting to get better. It's good for motivation. If you can trust your doctor, it's proven that people tend to stick less to medical indications. It's a shame, so again, awareness and team work from a place of love, respect compassion and understanding.
Oh yeah, that's ideal too. That doctors attending a same patient for different specialities could communicate with each other. Sadly, doesn't happen much unless you work in the same hospital or system where you have access to a patients record and notes. Otherwise, it's not a thing...and it should be indeed! Team work without communicating is definitely not proper team work for the benefit of the patient. So many things to improve and change within medical practice in modern times, I agree.
I want to think that since I made my choice to not be in hospitals, that maybe my teachings and writing could eventually grow so much and reach so many people as needed to help precisely (at least in some ways) with all these systemic problems. It's a huge one to tackle but every little helps.
🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🥰
Thanks for this article and your story. I want to consciously hydrate.
We want to believe that we can trust our body to signal us what it needs, but we’ve spent so long ignoring it that we don’t understand the signals or they’re too faint.
I’ll try your headache remedy next time I feel one coming on.
Hi Tim! Yes, it's tricky if we wait to listen to the signals. Because the body adapts to every stage, when there's a bad signal it's most likely late somehow for us to react. I mean, keeping the body healthy and functioning is a lot of work, no doubt. The good thing is that the body is also a grateful thing...if we give it the daily basics, it just does wonders. Nature is amazing. :)
Very wise words. If only we could switch the constant chatter from our minds to the signals from our body ...
thanks for sharing your story. I also had some water issues, in my case they affected the skin, which in some places became so dry that it gave rise to dermatitis. Now I drink 3 liters of water a day, and the problem has been solved
I'm so glad your dermatitis is solved! Thanks for sharing too. It's insaaaaane how important water is and how easily we could prevent so many issues (short term and long term ones) with the right hydration. I hope this message reaches as many as possible. 🥰
This has been so incredibly helpful, thank you! Buying a water bottle tomorrow.
I'm so glad JP! High five 🙌🏻
Thank you for this - simple and sensible! We do so many things but forget the essential so often. I will commit to drinking more water - I’m terrible at this.
Hi! I'm so glad this resonated. It's all about the basics, yes. If we can go back to the basics, we'd be doing wonders for our body! I'm sure your healthcare providers would be amazed and grateful too. That's why I think is a beautiful team work. :) Thanks for your comment, Ceridwen! Happy to have you here.
There's a funny aphorism that goes, "𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴." I agree that of all our daily nutritional requirements, we tend to ignore or take for granted the most important: water. When you actually go through the exercise of recording the amount of water consumed in a given day, it's far short of the recommended minimum.
Yes! Tracking your daily intake is key to learning how you're actually taking care of your body. It all comes down to the basics always. It's a beautiful thing to see when people start understanding and seeing the results of their own efforts too. Thanks for your comment, Arjun!
It’s all about awareness 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
It is indeed! Awareness is EVERYTHING. Always the first step towards change. :) Thanks for being here!
Very good advice. Thank you! I've never tried 3 glasses of water and a nap for a headache. Fortunately, I don't get them often, but I'll be sure to try this the next time I do.
I'm glad this resonated, Daria! I'd love to know how it goes if you ever have to try it. It's so interesting the little things we discover when we start paying a tiny more attention to the basics in our bodies. Thanks for your comment! And welcome to Feel Good family. :)
Thank you, Dr. Ross! Somewhere in my life I heard, “The simple shall confound the wise.” I must confess to being a heavy coffee drinker, likely in contradiction of good health practices. I’ve slowly tapered down to one quart per day, fully caffeinated, from over two quarts per day 30 years ago. I’m certain on any given day I don’t meet a “6 glasses - 8 oz each - total intake.
Might you be so kind as to point me in the direction of good/helpful
Ayuervedic lessons? I believe you made the case for not forsaking western medicine altogether. True? I try to resist the “take this pill” answer from MDs. I ask instead about what would help my own body-foods, fruits, nutritional supplements-ward off recurrences or strengthen me. I’m described occasionally as non-compliant in their records.
Perhaps I am my own problem?! Not amenable to Ayurvedic approaches? Any comments would be appreciated.
Hi Gary! Thanks for your comment! So, coffee can be tricky yes. I think a cup a day is a wise and tolerable amount for most people. Plus it's so enjoyable! I like one cup of coffee a day, but never two or any after 12pm. That's how I have learned to enjoy it while also attending my body's needs. Coffee sadly doesn't count as fluids, mostly because coffee is diuretic, meaning it makes you pee, so the liquid you put in, goes out, so to speak. I think it's a good trick as I teach my patients and readers, to drink one glass of water every time after you go to the bathroom. It creates a habit, which is tied to a no-brainer (peeing) and it will remind you each time to grab a glass afterwards. The thing is creating habits is tough. So we need to give the brain an easy signal to remember the new thing you're trying to learn or put in place. So maybe you could use this trick to help you drink more water by creating a new habit. The bathroom one is one example, but you could get creative and see what are things that you do unconditionally every day and try to fit a glass of water to one of those old habits you already have. Makes sense? I have a full class about this topic, here: https://thefeelgoodlife.substack.com/p/dont-stress-it-lesson-5
And here's "the pee challenge" I teach towards creating a new hydration habit: https://thefeelgoodlife.substack.com/i/137215130/challenge-the-pee-challenge
Maybe these two will give you a good idea on how to improve your hydration as you create a new habit. That whole course is about it. :)
Now, to answer the second part of your comment: that's right. I believe both western and eastern medicine systems have incredible things that we can use and learn from. I don't think one should exclude the other. On the contrary, I really believe in bringing the best of both worlds to provide a better medical attention, prevention and education for patients. That's what I do here in my newsletter. When I first learned about Ayurveda, it was 10 years ago. It's been a long time of reading and learning about it. I'm finally doing an advanced course myself! I really intend to keep learning so that I can keep practising and teaching health with expanded perspectives that can help people, in safe and effective ways. I think sometimes we need treatments and it's okay. But I also wonder on how many times can we avoid them if it's possible and preventable. That's my whole view on prevention. We do our best to prevent, and whenever we must take certain treatments, then we do, or assess with our treating professionals. Communication is key too. Many patients are afraid to ask their doctors, but as doctors, we would love to educate and also to be asked. I personally encourage my patients to do so, to not be afraid, to ask me anytime. I want people to leave my professional space feeling calmer and with more clarity about their health concerns rather than leaving with doubts and fear. If people leave my consultation or my newsletter with doubts and fear, then I'm not doing my job correctly. That's a personal view and I can only speak for myself, but I do know there's so many other doctors like me out there. It's a matter of communication and awareness on both sides. And if your doctor is knowledgeable and open-minded on learning about other medical systems, then that's great. I think it's a good thing to have.
I hope I have answered all your questions! Let me know if I missed something. :)
Thank you Dr. Ross for the consideration to share both knowledge and time. I’m grateful.
You perfectly described a style, in your own practice and envisioned for other practitioners, that matches my fantasy of an ideal practitioner. I once was seeing three specialists (none of whom acted like the others had any role to play) and as is customary their findings/reports were sent to my primary care physician. During an appointment I asked my primary physician if these other specialists ever scheduled conference calls to discuss cases? He looked very surprised and quickly said “No! That’s what is done at teaching hospitals.” Modern medicine I suppose and resistance to new learning?
Acting as a diagnostician is a thing of the past. Liability concerns. So? They order a barrage of lab tests. Again, integrative medicine doesn’t usually play any role. So I, as calmly as possible, play traffic director and suggest that a recent panel for my rheumatologist might also be useful for my orthopedic surgeon. The former doctor almost scoffed at the idea. The latter exclaimed, “Yes! Please have the results sent to my office.”
Being non-confrontational or judgmental as you said is important for any of that to work. It is said, “Discretion is the better part of valor.” One cup of coffee only in the morning could help with that!
I’ll read the action plans you included re water intake and make that beginning. Thank you ever so much Dr. Ross.
And may I add, from a doctor's perspective, you're a good patient for wanting to understand your health alongside your doctors, for asking questions and for trying to find solutions and ways. I always encourage this. Just like I also encourage second opinions too many times when patients share they feel unheard or unseen. Trusting your treating health staff is vital for patients to engage in treatment and for wanting to get better. It's good for motivation. If you can trust your doctor, it's proven that people tend to stick less to medical indications. It's a shame, so again, awareness and team work from a place of love, respect compassion and understanding.
So kudos on you, it's what I meant to say. 😊
Oops typo: 'if you can't trust your doctor...'😊
Oh yeah, that's ideal too. That doctors attending a same patient for different specialities could communicate with each other. Sadly, doesn't happen much unless you work in the same hospital or system where you have access to a patients record and notes. Otherwise, it's not a thing...and it should be indeed! Team work without communicating is definitely not proper team work for the benefit of the patient. So many things to improve and change within medical practice in modern times, I agree.
I want to think that since I made my choice to not be in hospitals, that maybe my teachings and writing could eventually grow so much and reach so many people as needed to help precisely (at least in some ways) with all these systemic problems. It's a huge one to tackle but every little helps.
My pleasure, Gary! Great chat 😊